Shock-absorbing carrier-rod stop mechanism for full-fashioned knitting machines



March 11, 1930- c. F. MEYER El AL 1,750,017

SHOCK ABSORBING CARRIER ROD STOP IECHANISI FOR FULL FASHIONED KNITTINGIACHIHES Filed Jan. 24, 1929 4 Sheets-Shea 1 1N VEN TORS March 11, 1930.c. F. MEYER El AL 1,750,017

SHOCK ABSORBING CARRIER ROD STOP IECHANISI FOR FULL FASHIONED KNITTINGIACHINES Filed Jan. 24, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 F rs-Q31- ATTORNEYS.

March 11, 1930.

SHOCK ABSORBING CARRIER ROD STOP IECHANISI FOR FULL FASHIONED KNITTINGIACHINES fir &

C. F. MEYER ET 'AL Filed Jan. 24, 192

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'l" 9 WM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS.

March 1930. c. F. MEYER ET AL 1,750,017

SHOCK ABSORBING CARRIER ROD STOP MECHANISM FOR FULL FASHIONED KNITTINGIACHINES Filed Jan. 24. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIE-.5

50/25 A .52 zo' z? 52 2 21 h 53 I g1 15 M INVENTORS:

Christian I lfleyer Gofilab/ flzez; BY 3 AITTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHRISTIAN F. MEYERAND GOTTLOIB BITZER, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, AS- SIGNORS TO TEXTILEMACHINE WORKS, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA SHOCK-ABSORBING CARRIER-ROD STOP MECHANISM FORFULL-FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Application filed January 24. 1929.Serial No. 334,641.

Our invention relates to full fashioned knitting machines, and moreparticularly to improved thread carrier rod operating mechanismtherefor, our main object being to provide improved means fordeterminedly arresting the reciprocative travel of said rods by means ofnovel momenti'un-absorbing stop mechanism adapted to gradually reducethe speed of the moving rod as itapproaches its fixed stop posit-ion.-

Such momentum-absorbing stop of the carrier rods is particularlyessential when high operating speeds are desired, and various devicesfor this purpose have heretofore been attempted. 7

Our improvements provide a novel and simplified structure especiallyeffective in operation, readily applied to the ordinary knittingmachine, adjustable with the usual narrowing screwv mechanism. and ofeconomical cost of attachment.

Our invention comprises the mechanism hereinafter more fully describedin connection with the drawings accompanying the same and forming partthereof. the novel features of which are specifically set forth in theappended claims.

Fig. 1 is a partial rear View of a full fashioned knitting machineindicatingmainly the central coulier motion mechanism and the endnarrowing head mechanisms, with the intermediate portions omitted andthe narrowing heads closed in toward said coulier mechanism such partsparticularly involving and being sufficient to fully disclose theapplication to said known machine of a preferred embodiment of ourimproved momentum absorbing rod stop mechanisms.

Fig. 2 is a partly diagrammatic fragmentary view of the frictionallyoperated thread carrier rods as controlled by our mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a much enlarged cross sectional view through the center bedportion of the machine showing certain details of our carrier rodreciprocative and. control mechanism.

Fig. 4 shows, on a much enlarged scale, the end portion of the machineindicated to the left in Fig. 1.

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views indicating successive stepsof our rod stop mechanism during a half cycle of machine operation.

The knitting machine shown in the drawings is of usual construction andwell known operation and the fragmentary portions thereof indicatedcomprise the intermediately located coulier motion mechanism embracinglymarked 10, which oscillates a lever 11, the free end of the latter beingconnected by a link 12 to a slidable bracket 13; slide rod 14 andsliding slur cock bar 15 being connected to said bracket13 and receivingjoint reciprocative movements imparted by said coulier motion 10, asheretofore. Slide rod 14 is-provided with a usual plurality offricthreads in place for action of the several needle sections in knownmanner, and their reciprocative travel has heretofore been commonlycontrolled by their abrupt contact against fixed stops 21 mounted on thecarrier nuts 22 of adjusting screws 23 of the known end narrowing headmechanisms indicated in Fig. 1.

The above mechanism thus briefly described is old, but an understandingthereof is necessary to a full disclosure of our invention which relatesto improved stop control means for said thread carrier rods. theirheretofore abrupt contact against the usual end stops, especially inhigh speed machines, resulting in unnecessary noise. destructive wear ofthe necessarily delicately adjusted variable control mechanism, andinaccuracies of the thread feed due to reboundof the carrier rods fromsaid stops.

Our improved rod-stop mechanisms must operate at each end of the rodreciprocative travel, and certain parts thereof associated with theusual narrowing head mechanisms are therefore merely duplicated, oneacting at the right hand end, and the other on the left hand end of themachine. ingly thought that a full description of the mechanism at oneend will suflice for an understanding of the construction and operationof the duplicate mechanism at the opposite end, and the similar parts ofthe respective ends bear the same reference characters, except those atthe right hand end have the ex onent a added.

n the preferred embodiment of our invention shown in the drawings weindicate an engaged slide rod 19 as controlled indirectly through itsoperative friction box 16, and for this purpose employ a stop rodextending lengthwise of the machine and freely slidable in carryingbosses 26 formed on the series of friction boxes, its free right handend extending beyond the last friction box and its opposite left handend being. pivotally connected to one end of a controlling bell crank 27hereinafter more fully described. The similar right hand rod 25 is shownas lying in parallel relation to rod 25 and slidably carried in the samebosses 26 of said friction boxes 16, 16, its left end being free and itsright end pivoted to a similar controlling bell crank 27'. The rod 25,as shown, is provided with a tension s ring 28, one end of the latterbeing connecte to a collar 29 fixed to said, rod and its op osite endheld by a post 30 on a sleeve 31 s idable on a supporting shaft 132,said sleeve being movable on said shaft through fixed connection tocarrier nut 22 as shown. Said rod 25 also carries a series of stopcollars 32, for convenience one being provided for each friction box,only those however for active carrier-rod-engaged friction boxes beingre uired, and these are adj ustably positioned an fixedly clamped tosaid rod so as to enga e at the proper time with their respectiveriction box bosses 26 as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Slur cock bar 15, is slidably supported as heretofore by brackets 37fixed to the center bed beam 38, and to such end of said bar we secureas by bolts 39, extensions 40, 40 projecting beneath bell crank 27, 27,and preferably firmly supported and slidably movable on anti-frictionrollers 41, 41 mounted in a .frame 42, 42 fixedly carried by brackets43,

43 secured to center bed beam 38, said frame having a projecting ledge44, 44, and said slur cock extension having end cams 45, 45, {he purposeof both of which will appear ater.

Controlling bell crank 27 is pivotally mounted on a stud shaft 50,. oneend of the latter being fixedly secured to carrier nut 22 as shown,'andthe opposite end thereof is firml held by a bracket 51 the lower end ofwhicli projects beneath frame ledge 44 and slidably engages the latteras stud moves It is accordwith carrier nut 22, an adjustable wear strip52, as shown,'being preferably provided between said projection andledge.

One end of said bell crank 27, as previously described, is pivotallyconnected to stop rod 25, and its opposite end, as shown, carries ananti-friction roller 55 adapted to ride' on slur cock extension 40 andits end cam 45.

the projecting fixedpivot pins 56 for said roller preferably havingsecured thereto a stop nut 57 having a nicely adjustable headed boltextension 58 adapted to seat on the upper surface of the aforesaid frameledge 44 and accurately control the swing of said bell crank 27 and itspivotally connected stop rod 25, so the friction-box engaged stopcollars 32 on said rod will hold said friction boxes against movement astheir connected rods slowly come to rest against the usual end stops21.-

By referring now more particularly to Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, it will beseen that these views diagrammatically indicate various positions of asingle thread carrier rod with 1ts operative friction box and ourimproved momentum absorbing rod stop mechanism therefor during a halfcycle of operation, no attempt being made to show correct size orproportion of the various parts thus illustrated.

In Fig. 5 the jointly reciprocated slide bar 14 and slur cock bar 15with its end earns 45 are shown as at the extreme right end of theirtravel and beginning reverse movement toward the left end of the machineas indicated by the arrow. Friction box 16 on rod 14 is moving jointlywith the latter, and guide rod 19, the dog 18 of which is shown en agedby the bolt 17 of said friction box is eing moved to the left by saidfriction box, and away from end stop 21 which has determined its travelto the right, irres ective of the fixed travel of slide rod 14. top rod25 is loosely sliding in its friction box boss 26, said rod being heldimmovable by its bell crank 27, the bolt extension 58 on one arm of thelatter resting on fixed ledge 44. Right stop rod 25 is restrainedagainst movement by its spring 28, and is freely; sliding in said boss26, and its collar 32 is behind said boss and has no restraining effecton the latter. i

As the parts above set forth progress in their travel they will assumethe posltion illustrated in Fig. 6, slide rod 19 having travelled awayfrom stop 21, and slur cock cam 45 passing under the roller of bellcrank 27 to swing the latter, such action merely idly moving stop rod 25to the left.

Further progress as illustrated in Fig. 7 has brought slur bar cam 45beneath left bell crank 27 its advancing face first moving rod 25 to theright, and its inward inclined face permitting reverse movement of saidrod as the roller rides down the same. Friction box 16 has moved intocontact engagement with frictionbox engaged guide rod 19.

Fig. 8 shows final movement to the left. the rod 19 is now at restagainst stop 21 and stop rod 25 is also at rest as bolt extension 58 nowrests on ledge 44.

Similar operations occur during reverse movements of the abovereeiprocated parts back to the position indicated in Fig. 5, and need norepetitious description.

To accomplish our stated purpose of avoiding shock in arresting themovement of rod 19, the proper shape of cam 45 is an important factor.The advancing face 145 of said cam is unimportant as its action takesplace to move rod 25 when its stop collar 32 is beyond the range ofengagement with the boss 26 of friction box 16, such movement merelysetting the roller of bell crank 27 at the upper end of the importantinward cam face 245, which face controls downward movement of saidrollered end and consequently movement of rod 25 coincidentally with themoving friction box.

As indicated most clearly in Fig. 4, the concave cam face 245 is soshaped that the upper end thereof is practically on a straight line,inclined at an angle of forty-five degrees, with the lower continuationthereof gradually curving until it tangentially meets the surface ofslur bar extension 40. By properly setting stop collar 32 on rod25, thiscam will act on said rod through controlling bell crank 27, due toroller 55 riding down the inward cam face 245, so as to first move saidcollar 32 at approximately the same speed as the friction box 16, therod boss 26 of which at the beginning of said roller movement down saidcam has practically reached contact engagement with said stop collar. Adtual contact of said boss and stop gently occurs as the roller ridesinto the lower curved portion of cam face 245. which face gradually actsto bring said bell crank to a stop as the roller rides on to flatsurface of slur bar extension 40, such gradual stop of said bell crankacting to slow the movement of rod 25 to a stop, consequently gentlybringing friction box 16 to a stop against collar with ease and nodanger of rebound. Spring 7'18 insures engagement of roller 55 with cam45, and bolt extension 58 may be nicely adjusted sothat guide rod 19 maybe stopped by our momentum absorbing mechanism above set forth just asit reaches its fixed stop 21, or the latter may be omitted entirely ourmechanism providing all necessary control of said rod and being capableof very fine adjustment.

As previously described the bell crank stud shaft 50 and sleeve 31 arefixed to and movable with carrier nut 22 so that as the latter is movedby its adjusting screw 23, operated as heretofore in well known manner,to move end stop 21 for fashioning the fabric, bell crank 27 will moveequally, its pivotally connected stop rod 25 being accordingly shiftedin its friction box bosses 26 so that the action of rod collar 32 willalways remain in fixed relation to stop 21 for timed cooperative actiontherewith.

Having thus fully set forth the nature of our invention and the mannerof its operation, we do not desire to limit ourselves to the preferredconstruction specifically shown and described, as modifications may bereadily devised within the scope of our invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

\Vhat we claim is:

1. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod andmeans for reciprocatively operating the same, a momentum-absorbingrod-stop mechanism comprising a longitudinally movable stop rod for saidreciprocated carrier rod periodically cngageable with the latter, andmeans operated by said carrier rod reciproeative means to progressivelydecrease the speed of said stop rod longitudinal movement to a full stopduring said periodical carrier rod engagement.

2. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,means for reciprocatively operating the same, and a narrowing nut forvarying the reciprocative movements of said carrier rod, amomentumabsorbing rod-stop mechanism movable with said narrowing nut andcomprising a longitudinally movable stop rod for said reciprocatedcarrier rod periodically engageable with the latter, and means operatedby said carrier rod reciprocative means to control said stop rodlongitudinal movement during said periodical carrier rod engagement.

3. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,reciprocative mechanism therefor comprising a slide rod, and frictionalmeans engaging said carrier and slide rods, a momentum-absorbing rodstopmechanism for said carrier rod comprising a longitudinally movable stoprod engageable with said frictional means, a slide liar movable withsaid slide rod and means actuated by said slidq bar to control thelongitudinal movement of said stop rod during engagement therewith ofsaid frictional means. 1

4. In a full fashioned. knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,reciprocative mechanism therefor comprising a slide rod, and fractionalmeans engaging said carrier and slide rods, a momentum-absorbing rodstopmechanism for said carrier rod comprising a stop rod engageable withsaid frictional means, operative means to limitedly move said stop rodlongitudinally, and a slide bar movable with said slide rod and havingmeans engaging said stop rod operative means to control the longitudinalmovement of the latter during engagement therewith of said frictionalmeans.

5. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,reciprocative mechanism therefor comprising a slide rod, and frictionalmeans engaging said carrier and slide rods, a momentum-absorbing rodstopmechanism for said carrier rod comprising a stop rod engageable withsaid frictional means, a bell-crank to limitedly move said stop rodlongitudinally, and a slide bar movable with said slide rod and having acam engaging said bell-crank to control the longitudinal movement ofsaid stop rod during its engagement with said frictional means. 1

6. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,reciprocative mechanism therefor comprising a slide rod, a frictionaldevice connecting said carrier and slide rods, and a narrowing screwmechanism to vary successive carrier-rod reciprocations, amomentum-absorbing rod-stop mechanism for said carrier rod controlled bysaid narrowing screw mechanism and longitudinal movement of the latterduring engagement therewith of said frictional devices.

7. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod, areciprocative mechanism therefor comprising a slide rod, a frictionaldevice connecting said carrier and slide rods, and a narrowing screwmechanism to vary successive carrier-rod reciprocations, amomentum-absorbing rod-stop mechanism for said carrier rod movable withby said narrowing screw mechanism and comprising a stop rod engageablewith said frictional device, operative means to limitedly move said stoprod longitudinally, and a slide bar movable with said slide rod andactuating said stop rod operative means to control longitudinal movementof the latter during engagement therewith of said frictional devices.

8. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,reciprocative mechanism therefor comprising a slide rod, a frictionaldevice connecting said carrier and slide rods, and a narrowing screwmechanism to vary successive carrier-rod reciprocations, amomentum-absorbing rod-stop mechanism for said carrier rod movable withby said narrowing screw mechanism and comprising a stop rod engageablewith said frictional device, a bell-crank to longitudinally move saidstop rod, and a slide bar movable with said slide rod and having a camengageable with said bell-crank to control the longi-. tudinal movementof said stop rod during engagement therewith of said frictional demeansto operate said bell crank; a fixed rest for one end of said bell crankand an adjustable stop on the latter adapted to seat on said rest.

10. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,means to reciprocate the same, a momentum-absorbing rodstop mechanismfor said carrier rod comprising a stop rod, a bell crank for actuatingthe same, and a cam carried by said reciprocative means to operate saidbell crank; a fixed rest for one end of said bell crank, an adjustablestop on the latter adapted to seat on said rest, and resilient means tohold said stop on said rest.

11. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,reciprocative mechanism therefor, and frictional means connecting saidrod to said reciprocative mechanism,a momentum-absorbing rod-stopmechanism for said rod comprising a stop rod, bosses on said frictionmeans adapted to slidably support said stop rod, an adjustably fixedstop on said stop rodengageable with a determined boss, and stop rodoperating mechanism including a reciprocally mounted cam and a stop rodconnected member rid able on said earn, the reciprocation of the latterbeing actuated by said carrier rod reciprocative mechanism.

12. In a full fashioned knitting machine having a thread-carrier rod,reciprocative mechanism therefor, and a narrowing nut adapted to varysaid rod reciprocations, av

momentum-absorbin rod-stop mechanism comprising a stop rod having alimited movement with said rod, a bell crank actuating said rod, andmeans carried by said carrier rod reciprocative means adapted to operatesaid bell crank; a stud shaft for said bell crank having one endengaging said narrowing nut, a slide support for its opposite end,

and a fixed slide way for the latter.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

CHRISTIAN, F. MEYER. GOTTLOB BITZER.

